Without You
by xAimiMizukix
Summary: Joshua's gone silent and so has Shibuya. Neku's already suspecting something but when a visitor comes to his house on a rainy night, he suddenly realizes that not only Shibuya but they are in grave danger. Sequel to "Because of You" Enjoy :D R&R!
1. Where are you?

_Well you guys… you wanted it and here it is! The sequel to Because of you! Enjoy!_

_cc._

_His hand had traveled all throughout his body leaving warmth behind at every touch. When their lips met, the sudden warmth coursed through his entire body. No one was there besides them; no one existed except for them. There they were, moaning and sweating. At that time, it seemed like nothing could get in their way anymore. Nothing…_

xx.

Neku paced back and forth. His bit his lips, stopped walking, and started pacing again.

Sitting on the couch behind him were his friends who looked at him with both worry and annoyance.

Finally, Shiki stood up. "Neku, I can't stand to see you like this."

"Yea," Beat and Rhyme agreed.

Neku stopped and gave his friends an apologetic look. "Sorry guys." He sat down with them and opened his mouth as if to speak and clamped it shut again.

"What is it?" Shiki asked.

Neku opened his mouth again and forced the words out. "Have you guys heard from Joshua lately?"

There was a collective sigh and everyone resisted the urge to just stand up and leave.

"Again? Yo, there's nothing wrong."

"Yea, Beat's right…surprisingly," Rhyme assured, "Joshua's the Composer after all. There are going to be times when he gets really busy."

"But it's been so long."

"Neku," Shiki said, "it's only been three months. If Joshua's surviving, I'm pretty sure you will."

Neku sat in silence for a while and finally, opened his mouth to speak again. "Shibuya's been quiet."

"How can you tell?"

"Ever since the incident with him being sent to the RG, I've still been able to see the Noise."

"That's hella sick, yo!"

Ignoring his comment, Neku went on, "Lately though, I haven't seen any Noise at all. It's like they all disappeared into thin air."

"Which goes back to my point that Joshua's working hard," Shiki commented, "He has to restore Shibuya and direct the games as well."

"I guess so," Neku said, his voice filled with doubt, "Sorry for bothering you guys."

"No, it's fine," Rhyme assured and slowly walked out with Beat in tow.

Shiki glanced at Neku and stayed for a couple more minutes before finally walking out leaving Neku alone in the room.

Neku bit his lips. He should have told them… he should have but he couldn't….

xx.

_Three Months Ago…_

"Nekky dear, may I ask you something?"

Neku's head shot up. "What is it?"

"I'm going to do some investigating on the person who attacked us….what was her name? Oh right Haruki."

"And?"

"I'm asking you do keep an eye out for anything suspicious okay? If you do see something report it to me."

"Joshua, I thought she was dead."

"People tend to surprise you from time to time. I won't be surprised though if that hectopascal is still alive."

That made Neku cringe and smile at the same time. "Won't that be a sight to see."

"Haha, I rather not…"

"Is that all you wanted to ask?"

Joshua became silent for a moment. "Neku…"

"Yes?"

"Something's going to happen, I can feel it."

"With the Games?"

"No…with Shibuya. I been trying my hardest to restore it but….every time I try, there's always something in my way. It's like a wall pushing me back."

Neku gave him a quizzical look but didn't mention how weary Joshua looked. He noticed a small dark swirl forming around Joshua until it nearly engulfed his entire body. "J-Josh…"

Joshua looked up and the swirl disappeared. "Yes?"

"N-nothing."

Joshua sighed and moved closer. "You're a horrible liar you know."

Neku cringed away surprising both of them. "I'm sorry, Josh but….. I'm just tired."

It was obviously a horrible lie but instead of arguing until the truth came out, Joshua shrugged and motioned to his bed. They had other plans for that night.

xx.

_Present day_

There was rain. It was raining really hard that night. Thunder and lightning accompanied it and the news reported that there was also a slight chance of hail.

Neku sat on his couch with the TV on but barely paying any attention to what was on. He unconsciously flipped through the channels fully unaware of anything that was playing.

It was almost obvious what was on his mind. He should have told him. He should have told them. Joshua's sudden silence wasn't normal. Something must have happened.

Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the door.

Deep in his thoughts, Neku would have missed it if it were not for the loud banging and loudly spoken commands directed at him from outside.

He contemplated on opening the door and finally, got up and walked out. He opened the door to a soaked woman in mid-knock. She stumbled in and hung her wet jacket on the hanger.

Neku closed the door and immediately asked, "Who the hell are you?"

The woman tore off the second layer of jackets revealing a brunette who seemed to be in her late 20's. She eyed Neku and said, "I'm sorry for such a sudden intrusion but I need to talk to you as soon as possible. My name is Kasuki."

Neku eyed her and contemplated on throwing her back out in the rain. He soon decided against it and motioned to the couch.

As they sat down, Neku asked, "What is it that you wanted to ask me?"

Kasuki shivered for a bit. "Neku," she said, "I—"

"Wait… how do you know my name?"

"That's why I needed to come see you…. I'm an old acquaintance with Joshua."

The minute she said that name, Neku was nearly fastening himself on the couch. "W-what about him?"

"You see," Kasuki began, "Ever since, me and Joshua met again, I became his top Reaper as you can call it. We were partners once in the Games."

"Then shouldn't you be dead?"

"Yes, but somehow, I landed myself in the Games again when I died again. And when I lost, I was given a choice like you were. I chose to become a Reaper. Surprisingly, Joshua remembered me and as I worked my way up, he revealed himself to me as the Composer."

"And?"

"Well," she looked down, "Recently, Joshua has been acting weird. You must have noticed."

"Yes?"

"I was so stupid. I should have suspected something when he told me to run an errand for him out of the city. It just wasn't like him."

"What happened?"

"When I came back, the UG was in a state of distress. Most of the Reapers were either dead or severely injured. The Producer was knocked unconscious and…Joshua… was missing."

Neku had to use all his will power to prevent himself from grabbing Kasuki by the shoulders, demand the info and running out to find Joshua.

"I have a theory on that," Kasuki continued, "from what I know, if that Haruki is still wandering around, there are four types of Noise."

Neku's head shot up.

_Four?_

"The first ones are the normal ones that players fight against. The second are the ones that possess humans. The third ones are the ones you and Joshua discovered or well erm were pitted against. The ones that seemed to have a mind of their own and could well talk. The fourth ones… this is a theory after all but there was nothing else that could have made Joshua act the way he acted…"

"Which is?"

"Noise that can possess and control people of the UG."

Neku was silent for a while.

_Impossible…that…there can't be such a thing…._

Yet, he remembered the dark swirls forming around Joshua. If Kasuki's theory was true then Neku sat there and watched Joshua being consumed by the Noise.

"How's Mr. H now?"

"He's sober but has difficulty remembering what happened to him. Same with all the Reapers."

"And what do you want me to do?"

"I want you to assist me in finding Joshua."

"That's impossible."

"No," Kasuki gave Neku a hard look, "it's not."

"He could be anywhere…"

"He's still in Shibuya. He's still the Composer. He can't go anywhere."

The memory of the beach suddenly flashed into Neku's head. "I disagree."

Kasuki gave Neku another look before standing up. "Fine, sit there and sulk. I'll find him by myself!"

Before she left, Neku spoke softly. "Why do you care so much?"

Kasuki looked down. "Because I care about him and I would do anything to find him and straighten things out. I hear you two are lovers so wouldn't you do the same?" She put on her jackets, opened the door, and slammed it behind her.

Neku sat in silence.

_Wouldn't you do the same?_

"Joshua…." He said, his eyes were starting to brim with tears, "Where the hell are you?"

cc.

_Hoped you enjoyed this first chapter. I'm sorry to say that the other chapters will be coming out extremely slowly while I try juggling Rhyme's story, this one, and school work at the same time. So be patient please. R&R plox! :)_


	2. Missing

_Ahhh hey guys sorry for taking so long to write this chapter :P School's finally started again and well that means it'll take me even longer to write another chapter x.x so sorry but I hope you enjoy! I'll try to get the next one up soon!_

_cc. _

_There were once two boys who were the best of friends. One winter, they both ran out to play with the snow. Laughing, one noticed the frost-covered windows. They ran inside and began drawing pictures. Animals, happy faces, little messages, they drew them all. That night, they decided to share a room and were both eager to wake up the next morning to finish their pictures. The next morning, they ran out of bed, excited. However, they were shocked and disappointed to find that the frost had melted along with their many pictures._

_xx._

Kasuki flipped through the pile of papers that lay on Joshua's desk, collecting dusk.

"Where are you, you idiot?"

She flipped to the notes Joshua has been taking of Haruki.

_Claimed to be Konishi's sister_

_Created new Noise_

_Died around 24 and worked her ways up to Reaper_

Kasuki's eyes traveled to the large prints at the end of the paper.

_Has the largest amounts of Players erased ever in history_

_Dangerous_

"Is that why she worries you so much?" Kasuki mused.

"You just realized this now?"

Kasuki jumped and turned around to face the stranger. She froze.

"I-impossible."

xx.

"Neku….Neku….Neku!"

"Ah! What? What's going on?" Neku's head flung up from his desk.

The teacher gave him a long stare before returning to her lecture. "Your parents do not pay for you to fall asleep, Mr. Sakuraba."

"S-sorry," Neku stammered.

He looked at Shiki whose face was bright red. "Sorry," she whispered, "but the teacher was going to yell at you if you didn't wake up."

"Thanks," Neku whispered back.

"Stayed up all night thinking about him?" she asked.

"Yea."

Afterschool, the four of them met up at Hachiko.

"Hey, Phones… was that true…about what happened to that prissy kid, yo?"

Neku nodded unable to speak.

Rhyme looked down. "Neku…let us help."

Neku shook his head. "No… I can't—"

"No, Neku," Shiki objected, "you're not going to risk your life for him and just leave us behind." She gave him a small smile. "We're going too."

Neku sighed and looked at his friends. "You guys…."

They all smiled and headed for Shibuya River.

xx.

"Hey! Kasuki! We—" Neku stopped short when he realized that the Dead God's Pad was empty.

"Kasu..who?" Beat asked before walking through the door and surveying the room. "It's empty," he said matter-of-factly.

"Yea no duh," Neku retorted before walking over to the table where papers were scattered.

"Find anything?" Shiki asked walking over.

Before shaking his head, Neku caught a glimpse of a small note and reach out to grab it.

_Neku, I'm assuming that it is you that is reading this. Is it not?_

_Well nevertheless I have news to tell you….I don't have much time okay? So meet me at Hachiko…your friends can come along if they can be of some use._

_You have to trust me on this okay?_

Neku's heart skipped a beat when he read the last line.

_I know where Joshua is._

He ran out of the room not hearing the worried calls from his friends. He kept running…. Right into a wall.

"Hey! What the…" Neku jumped back in surprise to see a Reaper walk up to him. Neku glared at him. "This isn't the games…let me through."

"I'm sorry but no can do. I've been erm…told to keep you in Shibuya River and that's what I'll do."

Neku's glare intensified before a certain fact hit him. "Wait… how can you use your powers?"

Reaper eyed him before answering with a small smile on his face. "Didn't you know? This is the UG."

"Wha—" Neku spun around to see if anyone was coming.

"If you're looking for your friends, then they are in the RG."

"What?"

The Reaper smirked. "Sorry, but boss only mentioned keeping you in here. Your friends are probably trying to look for you know and forgetting about Jo—"He clamped his mouth shut a little too late.

Neku's eyes turned into dangerous dark slits. He slowly walked up to the Reaper. "What about Joshua?" he said slowly.

At his sudden slip, the Reaper's confidence came crashing down and he flinched at the boy's threatening glare. "N-nothing."

Neku rammed the Reaper into his own wall. He forced the Reaper to look up at him. ".Joshua." he repeated.

With that, the Reaper's confidence plummeted…. "Okay! Okay! I'll put back down this wall! I'll do anything! I swear! Don't hurt me!"

"Then tell me," Neku pushed him further into the wall, "Where is Joshua?"

"I don't know! I don't know! This scary lady came up to me and forced me to do this! She told me that it was to keep you away from Joshua! I swear that's all I know!"

With that, the wall fell and Neku ran to the other side where his friends were frantically searching for him.

"Neku! Where were you?"

"Sorry….long story tell you later….all I can say is..we need to see Kasuki…now!"

They all ran to Hachiko and frantically scanned the area for Kasuki.

"I was wondering when you guys will show up."

Neku spun around. "Hey."

"Hey," Kasuki replied before giving each of them a look, "You guys ready?"

"Wait," Neku said, "Where exactly…is Joshua?"

Kasuki gave him a grave look. "If my theory was correct, then… he's not in Shibuya anymore."

"Then where is he?"

"Osaka."

xx.

A boy trudged along the sidewalks, his body weak; his mind even weaker. He couldn't recall the events of the past few days and didn't even remember his reason for being here. He just responded to his body's movements not even realizing that it wasn't his to control.

His mind was cloudy and he kept walking in a daze not even realizing that small voice in his head instructing him on where to go.

How long he walked did not occur to him. Whether his body was tired from all the walking also did not occur to him. His body directed him to a small house on the rural parts of the city.

He walked inside and was met by a woman.

"Took you long enough."

All he did was nod.

The woman smiled warmly at him and led him to a small corridor in the house. "Wait here," she said before walking off.

There were some mumblings in the other room before she came back out again. "Come in."

He followed her in to a room with a huge chair on the middle. Sitting on it was a man that looked about twenty.

"Hello."

The boy nodded.

"Well we have a lot to do now that you're here."

He nodded again.

"You have to do everything I said alright?"

This time, the boy's mouth opened and said, "Yes, master."

"Ah ah ah. Remember what my real name is?"

The boy nodded again and opened his mouth again. "Yes…."

"Yes….what? What's my name?"

The boy struggled, obviously trying to break free of the other force that was slowly forcing open his mouth. However, one look from the man and all his will melted away. The tortured expression on his face also went away and his mind slowly clouded again.

He slowly and reluctantly opened his mouth again. "Yes…Neku."


	3. Imagination

_Ahhh sorry for the slow update! This is going to be a shorter chapter than the rest. Writer's block. But it will reveal a lot more about the first two chapters. Enjoy!_

"_If my theory was correct, then… he's not in Shibuya anymore."_

"_Then where is he?"_

"_Osaka."_

Neku frantically stirred in his sleep, annoying Beat until the skater finally became fed up and went to go take an early shower.

After their meeting, Kasuki declared that they had to travel to Osaka to search for Joshua.

"_But…why Osaka?"_

"_Let's just say that his old friend came to me."_

"…_You mean…."_

"_No, it's not Yomi. Don't worry."_

"_Then who…"_

"_Don't ask. Let's just hurry and go."_

_But if it's not Yomi, then who could it be?_ Neku opened his eyes and realized that his entire body was sweating. He took a look around. That's right. They were on their way to Osaka and decided to spend the night at a local hotel. He looked at the empty bed next to him. His stirring must have woken up Beat.

"Beat?" Neku called out but was only met with an annoyed grunt from the bathroom.

"Good morning to you too." He turned towards the clock. _5:30 Am… I wonder if the girls are awake…._ He glanced at the phone and decided against it. He didn't want to risk angering a tired, and grumpy Shiki.

_Neku?_

Huh? Neku spun around trying to find a source of the voice.

_Neku, it's me. Kasuki._

How…..oh… "Are you in the UG?"

_Yea, I needed to do some researching. Nice boxers by the way._

Neku's face turned bright red and quickly threw the covers over himself. "If you were just going to come in here to make fun of me, you can leave."

_I was just joking. But, I did find something. _

"What is it?"

_Joshua is definitely in Osaka. I can't pinpoint which residence though._

"Why not?"

_That's what's troubling me. The place where he is staying…there is so much Imagination surrounding it that I can't find it. As far as I can tell, the amount of Imagination shielding him greatly surpasses yours._

How? Mr. H had once told him of his powerful Imagination in his Soul thus leading Joshua to choose him as a proxy. Joshua had also mentioned once that it was rare to find someone with a Soul as powerful as Neku's. "Can you at least tell what part of the city he is in?"

There was silence.

"Kasuki?"

_I-I'm sorry. I was zoning out. What?_

Well, that was…unlike her. Neku's eyes narrowed. "You're hiding something."

_What? What makes you think that?_

"Just a hunch."

_Well, just so you know, I'm not hiding anything._

"Then why are you still in your UG form? Why not show yourself?"

There was another silence.

"You're scared that I'm going to scan you…aren't you."

_That's not it, Neku. It's just that…I need you to trust me on this okay? I'll tell the rest of the group later but…I need to confirm some things first._

"Like what?"

_I'll tell you later okay? I just need some rest right now. Talk to you later._

And before Neku could respond, he could feel her presence go away. That…was strange. He hardly knew Kasuki but he knew her well enough to notice when something was wrong. She was acting way too obvious. What was she hiding? Did she find out if those fourth kinds of Noises existed? Did she find out whether Haruki was alive or not? Did she—

"—find out where Joshua was?" Neku directed his attention to the phone again but decided that it would only lead to him having to face Shiki and Rhyme about this was well. He collapsed onto his bed.

"What do I do?" He yelled out.

"About what, Phones?" Beat opened the door and came out with his hair still soaking wet. With one glance from Neku, he raised his hands up innocently. "Hey man, don't stare at me like that, yo. The hair dryer wasn't working."

Neku smiled and realized that telling Beat about what just happened wouldn't be the brightest idea. "Nothing."

"Huh? Nothing what, yo?"

Neku smiled again. Typical Beat. "I was just dozing off. Here let me help you with the hair."

xx.

Kasuki collapsed onto her bed, exhausted. She had asked Shiki and Rhyme to fetch her some breakfast, to which they happily obliged. She wasn't really hungry to tell the truth. She just needed some time to herself.

Hiding things and lying weren't part of her values but in this case, she realized that she had to. Some things were just too important to tell others just yet. When Konishi had come to visit her, she really didn't know what to expect.

"I should be dead."

Well…erased was a better word. The question was, why didn't Konishi erase her on the spot? Why give her clues as to where to find Joshua? Was this all just a trap?

_Why are you helping me?_

_Because the Composer is needed in Shibuya or else everything will crumble along with him. I can't have any risks._

_But what about your sister?_

_We never had a close relationship. I never approved of her morals to begin with._

Kasuki closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She had spent that last several hours searching for Joshua but that great amount of Imagination held her back. That part was true. However, after a couple more hours of researching the wall, she was able to track down a suspect of who was behind all this.

A tear trickled down her face as the face appeared in her thoughts again.

_Impossible…_

"Satoshi…"

xx.

Joshua sat in his bed, his mind still cloudy. He couldn't remember who he was or why he even was here in the first place. All he knew was that he needed to follow the orders of the person he called Neku.

_Neku…_

Why does that name sound so familiar?

He tried to open his mouth to say his name out loud, however, something kept it shut. He couldn't even move on his own accord. He was like a puppet waiting for his master to give him the orders.

"Joshua?" A familiar voice called out.

Suddenly, as if the orders were given, Joshua stood up and his mouth opened. "Yes? Neku?"

"There has been a great disturbance in the parts near Osaka."

"Shall I get rid of them for you?"

"Yes."

"What is the disturbance, Neku?"

The man smiled. "There is a group that is trying to get in here. Their leader is trying to disguise as me. He also uses the name Neku. However I found his real name.

"Which is?"

"Satoshi."

cc.

_OoOoOoOoOo another cliff hanger mwahahahah jkjk I don't mean to torture you guys…not intentionally anyways. But I will try my hardest to get another chapter out ASAP so remember to show your love by R&R!_


	4. Past

_Well..it's been a while hasn't it guys? To be honest, I was going to just give on this story because my inspiration was continuously dwindling and a lot of things were going on in my life. However, all you wonderful people who have decided to stick with this story all this time has convinced me otherwise. So I hope you enjoy "Without You" ch 4 :)_

_xx._

_That's not it, Neku. It's just that…I need you to trust me on this okay? I'll tell the rest of the group later but…I need to confirm some things first._

_"Like what?"_

_I'll tell you later okay? I just need some rest right now. Talk to you later._

"Joshua…"

"Neku?"

"Ah—" Neku awoke with a start and found himself seated on the bed with an unfinished bowl of cereal on the table in front of him. He looked around and saw the several worried faces staring back at him.

"Hey, Phones, you okay?"

"Yea, you've been spacing out all morning, Neku," Shiki agreed still with a piece of toast in her hand. She took around bite before saying, "Don't worry. We'll help you find Joshua guaranteed."

Kasuki looked at bit uncomfortable at Shiki's bold promise.

_So she probably does know something. _

Neku looked at her but was unwilling to destroy the hopeful mood that Shiki had set a few seconds ago. He shook his head and smiled. "Sorry about that, guys. I guess I'm just a bit anxious."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kasuki relax a bit. Shiki and Rhyme smiled back and Beat gave him a friendly punch on the arm.

"Don't worry, Phones. We'll find him."

"Unless he finds you first."

Everyone jumped at the voice and frantically looked around for the source. Neku was by far the most frantic for he recognized the voice.

It was Haruki's voice.

"Haruki!" Neku yelled and continued to frantically look around for something to show up. His mind was racing.

How did she find them?

Did she follow Kasuki back?

Was Joshua with her?

"Neku!" Shiki gasped and Neku turned to where she pointed to come face to face with—

"Joshua," Neku breathed. He couldn't believe it. It was Joshua standing right in front of him.

Joshua obviously didn't share the same joy for he lifted Neku without a second thought and flung him against the wall.

"Neku!" Shiki screamed and ran to help along with the others but were stopped by Haruki.

"Ah ah ah," Haruki said waving a finger at them before throwing each out the window and onto the ground below, "Let's give them some peace shall we?" She said with a sneer before turning her attention back to Joshua and Neku who was now groaning in pain.

"I'll leave you two alone to…catch up," she sneered before she too jumped out the window leaving the unconscious group on the ground.

"Jo…shu..a," Neku managed to say before Joshua threw another fist at him which he somehow managed to dodge despite the pain shooting through his arms and legs.

Joshua was unrelenting, however, and soon, Neku found himself against the bed post with Joshua nearly on top. Their faces were extremely close and Neku found himself blushing despite the dangerous circumstance he was in.

Joshua's face was also a bit red and Neku swore that more a moment, something flickered across Joshua's eyes as he looked into them.

"Joshua," Neku said softly.

"Ne—" Joshua started but just as quickly as the love started creeping back into his eyes, it was replaced by coldness and hate.

"Joshua…it's me…Neku."

"Liar!" Joshua backed away; his head in his hands.

"Joshua!"

"You're a liar! You're Satoshi!" Joshua took one look at him. The look he gave him was filled with confusion, hurt, and desperation. He was in a mental war.

_Satoshi?_

"_The place where he is staying…there is so much Imagination surrounding it that I can't find it. As far as I can tell, the amount of Imagination shielding him greatly surpasses yours."_

"Joshua, please," Neku pleaded, "Fight it."

"Ne…ku," Joshua said one last time before nearly collapsing against the wall.

"Joshua!" Neku ran to him and tried to help him up but was quickly pushed off.

Joshua slowly got up and took another look at Neku before jumping out the window and running away.

"Josh?" Neku said softly knowing that he won't hear him. His body was in pain but it didn't even reach up to the pain he felt in his heart.

_He tried to kill me._

xx.

"I can't believe, Joshua…" Rhyme said in disbelief and winced a bit as Shiki tended to her wounds from being thrown out the window.

"That prissy boy really isn't himself huh?"

"But Joshua didn't kill us so there's some hope right, Neku? Neku?"

Both Neku and Kasuki were silent the entire time. Both were leaning on opposite walls and looking down at the ground.

"Phones?"

"Joshua was…" Neku started, "fighting…against himself. He remembered me but…at the last minute he called me another name."

"What was the name?" Rhyme asked.

Neku struggled to remember. "Satoshi."

He noticed Kasuki stiffen. "You know something don't you, Kasuki?"

Kasuki refused to meet Neku's glare.

"Kasuki!"

Kasuki grinded her teeth as she reluctantly looked up at Neku's piercing stare. "I'm sorry."

"You…knew something."

"Neku…"

"You knew what was going on didn't you?"

"Neku please.."

"Do you know where Joshua was this entire time?"

"Neku!"

"Tell me! Who's Satoshi?"

At the mention of his name, Kasuki stiffened again and became distant.

At her reaction, Neku was near fuming and stomped out of the room in anger.

"Ne—" Shiki began as she walked towards the door but Kasuki stopped her with one hand.

"Kasuki…"

"You guys stay here…I'll talk to him."

She walked out to find Neku leaning against the wall grinding his teeth.

"Neku…"

"How much have you been hiding?"

Kasuki took a breath before continuing, "Please just listen."

"Fine."

"I never knew about where they were. I didn't know that they would attack. I…" she took another breath, "I only knew about Satoshi."

Neku didn't say a word.

"Please come back in, Neku."

"Who's Satoshi?"

"Come back and I promise I'll show you guys everything."

"Promise?" Neku's anger had decreased and now all he wanted was some sort of promise to keep him going.

"I promise."

Neku nodded and followed Kasuki back inside.

Inside, Kasuki handed each of them a player pin besides Neku who already had one.

"You…want us to scan you?" Rhyme asked quizzically.

"Yes. It'll be easier for you to see everything rather than me telling you."

Everyone nodded and placed the player pin in their hands before closing their eyes.

_There was a small girl crying on a street. It was dark and there was wind endlessly blowing._

"_Mom… Dad…" the girl cried out in gasps. _

"_Are you okay?" a voice said._

_The girl gasped and spun around and found herself face to face with a boy who seemed a little older than her._

"_You look cold," the boy said before throwing his jacket on her._

"_T-thank you."_

"_Do you want to come inside?" The boy motioned to a nearby house with lights on._

"_I-I'm waiting for my mommy and daddy."_

"_Where are they?"_

"_I-I don't know."_

_The boy seemed to think for a while. "Wait here," he said before running into the house and back out with a big blanket. He threw the blanket on both of them. "I'll wait with you."_

"_Th-thank you."_

_xx._

"_Kasuki, wait up!" A boy was laughing as he chased after a girl along the streets._

"_Can't catch me," Kasuki replied sticking a tongue out._

"_Watch me," he said before jumping and nearly pouncing her._

_Both stopped running but continued laughing._

_However, the boy's laughter soon turned into coughs. He lost composure and feel onto the ground._

"_Satoshi? Satoshi!"_

_xx._

"…_How is he, doctor?"_

"_He'll be fine. He just needs more rest until he is able to converse again."_

"_It's been six months…"_

"_He's going to come around anytime this week. His brain activity is increasing."_

"_But…?"_

"_This is a serious illness."_

_No…_

"_That…can't be…he was fine before the incident!"_

"_Mental illness can develop noticed for several years."_

"_That…is.."_

"_Ms…there is a way to delay the decay of his mind."_

"_It..can't be stopped?"_

"_We have no way of telling. When he wakes up, we'll be able to tell how much medicine he must take to retain his mental stability."_

"_Alright…"_

_xx._

"_How are you feeling?"_

_Satoshi turned his glazed expression over to her. "Just fine."_

_Kasuki sighed but kept a smile on her face. "That's good then."_

"_How long?"_

"_Until what?"_

_He cocked his head to the side. "Until I'm free to go."_

_Kasuki bit her lip. "I don't know. When you get better."_

"_When?"_

_Kasuki shook her ahead. "I don't know."_

_He cocked his head to the side again, not understanding. "Why?"_

_Kasuki held her head in her hands. "I don't know. I don't know."_

_She felt his hand touch her face and she looked down at his face to find him staring at her. His eyes were still a bit glazed over._

"_I'm sorry," she cried out._

_He slowly shook his head. "Don't be."He then struggled a bit but finally managed to lift himself up and slowly touched his lips with hers._

_xx._

"_Hey…"_

"_Hmm?"_

"_What would your greatest wish be?"_

"_Why are you asking such silly questions?"_

"_They're not silly!"_

_There was genuine laughter._

"_I wish…"_

_That you'll get better._

"_Hmm I don't know."_

_Another small chuckle._

"_May I tell you my wish then?"_

"_Sure."_

_He leaned over and stared at her with a confused expression._

"_I want to know who you are."_

"Woahh!" Beat yelled out in shock and confusion thus starling everyone else out of the memory.

"Beat, be quiet," Kasuki said, bit annoyed.

"Wait," Beat said ignoring her, "H-he forgot you?"

Kasuki looked away and motioned to the pin that was still in Beat's hand. "Just listen."

"_W-what do you mean?"_

"_I feel like I know you. I have this feeling that you're important to me. But…I can't remember."_

"_Satoshi…"_

"_Is that my name?"_

"_Satoshi…"_

"_Those tears…are they for me? Why are you crying? I don't understand."_

"_Satoshi!"_

_She flung herself onto Satoshi who stiffened in confusion. _

"_I don't understand."_

_A single tear ran down his face._

_xx._

_Kasuki woke with a start and found herself lying in the middle of the Scramble Crossing._

"_Argh…wha—" She blinked several times before eyeing the crowd of people walking past her as if she wasn't there in the first place._

"_Hello?" She said out loud and no one responded. "Argh what's going on?"_

_And then it hit her. She remembered hearing a car screeching; ramming right into her as she was on her way to visit Satoshi._

"_I'm dead." She looked around frantically. Why was she here then? Is she a ghost?_

"_You are now dead."She remembered the words that were spoken to her a few moments ago. "You have a choice to receive a second chance. You will play a game called the Reaper Game that will span for seven days. In exchange, you must play for a price: you're most important possession. If you win the game, then you will get back your price and you will receive a second chance. If not…then you'll be erased… this time for good."_

"_Ha…" she laughed at the irony. "I died before Satoshi…" She collapsed onto the ground as tears began to form in her eyes. "Satoshi….Satoshi!"_

"_Are you alright?"_

_Kasuki looked up and saw a boy looking down at her. He was wearing a plain button down shirt and plain pants. His grayish hair was the only thing that was different about him. _

_He cocked his head to the side. "Hello? Anyone there?"_

"_Ah…yea… I guess…" She looked up at him. "Who—"_

_Suddenly, several…frogs appeared. The boy stiffened. _

"_Quick. Form a pact with me!" _

"_A…pact?"_

"_Ugh did he tell you nothing? Come on!" There was a sudden light that surrounded them both and Kasuki felt an immense power come into her. She gasped as she felt a weird sensation in her hand. In her hand was a black pin with a skull design on it. The arrow necklace that she was wearing was also glowing and suddenly, turned into a bow and arrow._

"_Wha—" A frog suddenly jumped at her and nearly got her with its tongue._

"_God dammit." She held the arrow to the bow and let the arrow fly. It flew into the frog…and nothing happened._

"_Wha—" The frog took around leap at her and she closed her eyes waiting for the impact. She felt an intense heat instead and saw that the frog had burst into flames. Several more arrows appeared in her hand. _

_Several more frogs had appeared and she managed to erase all of them with her arrows which changed from fire to ice and back._

_The boy had also finished his battle and turned to face her. He eyed her bow and arrows before they turned back into a necklace._

"_Interesting power you have there."_

"_Thanks…I guess."_

"_That necklace must have a lot of memories."_

"_My…parents gave it to me."_

"_Ah." He looked around uncomfortably and awkwardly extended a hand. "Joshua."_

_Kasuki smiled and took the outstretched hand. "Kasuki."_

"_I guess were partners now."_

"_Yea."_

_xx._

"_Joshua!" Kasuki ran after him through Udagawa. There was a loud roar behind them and before she knew it, they reached the mural. They reached a dead end._

_Joshua was breathing heavily and turned to face the Game Master that was now right in front of them._

"_Why…did you…" Kasuki started still breathing heavily._

"_Because…of this…" Joshua took out his phone and dialed in something which caused the Cat Mural to glow. _

_The Game Master gasped and before they knew it, they were engulfed in light._

_Kasuki opened her eyes to find herself in the same room as she was in when she first died. She turned to look at Joshua and realized that the Game Master was gone. They…won._

"_Joshua…."_

_Joshua blinked a few times. "We…won?"_

"_Not exactly," said a voice. A woman appeared from the darkness and pointed at Kasuki. "Only you can receive a second chance."_

"_What?" they both shouted in unison._

"_Joshua should be able to have a second chance!" she yelled._

"_No, we should both be able to have it!"_

_Again, the women replied. "The Composer decided that the Player with the most points will be able to live again."_

"_This is unfair!"Kasuki yelled._

"_Like I care," the women countered, "I'm just doing my job. Your partner can still play the game again. Just be happy that you get another chance at life."_

_Kasuki looked down, defeated. She looked back at Joshua. "Josh, I—"_

"_Go," Joshua said and smiled sadly, "your life was more worthwhile than mines was. You deserve a second chance."_

_Kasuki nodded and was engulfed in light. "I hope we'll see each other again!"_

_Joshua nodded and waved. "Hopefully we will…"_

_Kasuki opened her eyes and found herself in the hospital…alive. She jumped out of her bed and raced towards where Satoshi's room was._

"_Satoshi!"_

_The nurse in the room looked up with a surprised look on her face._

"_Y-you're…you're alive! Isn't this great news, Satoshi?"_

_Kasuki took one look at Satoshi and gasped. She knew that she had only been gone for a week but Satoshi's face made it seem like years. His face was tired and pale. His eyes were glossier than ever. He didn't respond. He just kept staring at the wall._

"_Satoshi…"_

_The nurse looked defeated. "He went through a lot of shock when you…got into the accident. We all thought you were dead!"_

"_He…"_

"_The shock caused more damage to his brain. We're afraid that he may never recover."_

"_Satoshi…" Kasuki ran to him and tried to get his attention. "Please…Satoshi…it's me."_

_Yet, Satoshi still stared at the wall. _

"_I'll give you both a moment," the nurse said before walking out._

"_Satoshi…" Kasuki pleaded but to no avail. He was a good as gone._

_xx._

_It's been four years ever since Satoshi had recovered from the shock. However, the brain damage was real. He couldn't even recognize Kasuki's face anymore. He could speak, eat, and walk but his mind was in another place entirely. The Satoshi that Kasuki knew and loved was gone._

_Kasuki woke up a second time in the Scramble Crossing and cursed._

_xx._

"_Are you sure that you want to become a reaper and give up your price?"_

"_Yes."_

"_Heh. Given up on life didn't you?"_

_Kasuki looked away. Satoshi was gone. She had nothing to fight for anymore. Nothing._

"_Whatever." The man pointed to a door. "Your new life begins in there."_

_Kasuki nodded and walked through to find himself face to face with…_

"_Joshua…"_

xx.

"T-that's it?"

Kasuki nodded, looking a bit weary. "That's everything. The rest of it is my days as a reaper." She smiled a bit bitterly. "Funny how life can be so cruel."

"Kasuki," Neku said cautiously, "What happened with your parents?"

"They left me. I was thrown away like a rag doll and I didn't even realize it until much later on."

"Kasuki…may I ask you another question?"

"What was my price?" Kasuki have Neku a knowing look. "You can't guess?"

"D-did Satoshi die?" Shiki stuttered.

"No…but he might as well have."

"Was…it all of his memories."

Again, Kasuki shook her head. "You see, the mental illness that Satoshi had damaged his brain and the shock he had from me dying pushed him even further. He was never really on the brink of death. He…was on the brink of losing it."

"Then…"

"My price…" Kasuki took a breath before continuing, "was Satoshi's sanity."

_cc._

_Sorry for not uploading for such a long and time and then throwing a filler chapter at you guys D: but but but I feel like I had to get Kasuki's back story through first before I continue on so please be patient. I will continue uploading, don't worry :)_


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